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The Christ Files: How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus
In The Christ Files , a four-session small group Bible study, scholar John Dickson examines the Christian faith through a historical look at the Christian faith and life of Jesus from both Scriptural and other non-Bible documentation. Unique among the world’s religions, the central claims of Christianity concern not just timeless spiritual truths, but tangible historical events as well. Historian John Dickson examines Christianity’s claims in the light of history, opening you and your group to a wealth of ancient sources and explaining how mainstream scholars – whether or not they claim Christian Faith personally – reach their conclusions about history’s most influential figure, Jesus of Nazareth. In The Christ Files , Dickson skillfully highlights sources and historical methods used to study Christianity’s assertions. He illustrates how historians assess the reliability of data, and provides an honest and informed perspective on where historical issues or clear-cut and where personal faith comes into play. The Christ Files will help you and your small group expand your understanding of early Christianity and the life of Jesus. This 110-page Participant Guide includes seven chapters of reading and background contextual information, along with questions for four impactful small group sessions. It is meant for use in conjunction with the four-session The Christ Files DVD (sold separately). Chapter
1. The Game of Scholarship…How to Read between the Haedlines
2. Secret Gospels…Jesus in the Gnostic Writings
3. The Troublemaker…Jesus in Ancient Pagan Writings
4. Deceiver and Magician…Jesus in Ancient Jewish Writings
5. Behind the New Testament…Earliest Christian Sources
6. Before the Gospels…Jesus in the Oral Tradition
7. Jesus in Context…Background Sources for the Study of Jesus Small Group Study sessions
1. Gnostics and Romans
2. Jews and Christians
3. Lost Sources and Oral Traditions
4. Archaeologists and Artifacts
1. The Game of Scholarship…How to Read between the Haedlines
2. Secret Gospels…Jesus in the Gnostic Writings
3. The Troublemaker…Jesus in Ancient Pagan Writings
4. Deceiver and Magician…Jesus in Ancient Jewish Writings
5. Behind the New Testament…Earliest Christian Sources
6. Before the Gospels…Jesus in the Oral Tradition
7. Jesus in Context…Background Sources for the Study of Jesus Small Group Study sessions
1. Gnostics and Romans
2. Jews and Christians
3. Lost Sources and Oral Traditions
4. Archaeologists and Artifacts
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
About the author
John Dickson
99 books138 followersJohn focuses on the big ideas that have shaped our world.
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 9, 2013
I'm halfway through this great book on how scholars and historians evaluate the history of Jesus and the New Testament. What I really like is that Dickson chooses to stay away from the fringes that most of us hear about so often in the media and from books (Dawkins, Hitchens on one side and Strobel, McDowell on the other) and instead focuses on unbiased scholarly opinion on the writings of Jesus. Dickson also mentions the pagan, Greek and Roman writers who mention Jesus and also validate many of the stories in the New Testament.
This book gives me further evidence that the current New Testament translation is historically accurate, peer reviewed and is one of the most authentic historical manuscripts in existence today.
After reading the research and unbiased evidence presented, there is not much argument that the stories and accounts of Jesus given in the New Testament are anything but true and authentic.
This book gives me further evidence that the current New Testament translation is historically accurate, peer reviewed and is one of the most authentic historical manuscripts in existence today.
After reading the research and unbiased evidence presented, there is not much argument that the stories and accounts of Jesus given in the New Testament are anything but true and authentic.
May 8, 2014
An accessible book on the evidence of the existence of Jesus Christ
8 May 2014
John Dickson has sure come a long way since he started a band to spread the news of Jesus to the people of Sydney. In the time that I spent away from the church he has gone from being a pastor of an inner city Sydney church to becoming an associate professor in ancient history and he has moved from writing books directed at young adults and teenagers such as 'A Sneaking Suspicion' to more academic, but still accessible, works. Anyway, in this book he looks at the mainstream scholarship on the historicity of Jesus in a way that is accessible to most of us. I found the book interesting and helpful, noting that he does try to take a middle road between hardened sceptics such as Spong and Dawkins, and rabid promoters such as McDowell. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Dickson writes, however much of my theorising is simply just that - theorising, without any real supportable evidence, whereas being a scholar as such he moves further to the evidence that is supported by, well, evidence.
One of the problems that I find with books such as these is that the writers seem to sometimes get dragged too far into the secular sphere that they end up restraining God scientifically. For instance, when writing about the seven days of creation, John Dickson says “But mainstream Christians for decades have dismissed 6-Day Creationism as a misguided (if well-intentioned) project” which actually makes me balk a bit because by making that statement it sounds as if he is going down the path that the fundamentalists have taken when they say things along the lines of “unless you believe in a literal seven days of creation then you are not a Christian”, which, according to Dickson, somebody who says that is not a part of mainstream Christianity, but rather a part of a fringe group (or cult).
As for me, with regards to the seven days of creation, my position is “I don't know”. God has the power to create everything in seven days, or he could have created it instantly, or he could have taken billions of years – the truth is that none of us were around at that time, and the only references that we have are myths and legends that have come out of the human collective – even the Biblical account is rather vague considering that it has been written in poetic form.
With regards to the contents of this book, well, I am going to have to say that it is useful, and interesting, and as Dickson is able to do quite well, written in a brief and very readable way. The subject of the book can be very dry and academic at times, but Dickson is able to write in a way that the average person can have access to the information. Further, what he is intending to do here is to prove, based on historical evidence, that Jesus was a real person, and then goes further to prove that the claims that he made came about as he made them (that is that he is the Son of God, and that he died and came to life again). Personally, I am not necessarily convinced that any amount of proof is going to change people's mind; rather an intervention by God is required – and my supporting argument for a statement along those lines is that there are still holocaust deniers out there despite the fact of the overwhelming evidence supporting the fact the the Nazi death camps not only existed, but were used to kill anybody that the Nazi's did not like.
8 May 2014
John Dickson has sure come a long way since he started a band to spread the news of Jesus to the people of Sydney. In the time that I spent away from the church he has gone from being a pastor of an inner city Sydney church to becoming an associate professor in ancient history and he has moved from writing books directed at young adults and teenagers such as 'A Sneaking Suspicion' to more academic, but still accessible, works. Anyway, in this book he looks at the mainstream scholarship on the historicity of Jesus in a way that is accessible to most of us. I found the book interesting and helpful, noting that he does try to take a middle road between hardened sceptics such as Spong and Dawkins, and rabid promoters such as McDowell. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Dickson writes, however much of my theorising is simply just that - theorising, without any real supportable evidence, whereas being a scholar as such he moves further to the evidence that is supported by, well, evidence.
One of the problems that I find with books such as these is that the writers seem to sometimes get dragged too far into the secular sphere that they end up restraining God scientifically. For instance, when writing about the seven days of creation, John Dickson says “But mainstream Christians for decades have dismissed 6-Day Creationism as a misguided (if well-intentioned) project” which actually makes me balk a bit because by making that statement it sounds as if he is going down the path that the fundamentalists have taken when they say things along the lines of “unless you believe in a literal seven days of creation then you are not a Christian”, which, according to Dickson, somebody who says that is not a part of mainstream Christianity, but rather a part of a fringe group (or cult).
As for me, with regards to the seven days of creation, my position is “I don't know”. God has the power to create everything in seven days, or he could have created it instantly, or he could have taken billions of years – the truth is that none of us were around at that time, and the only references that we have are myths and legends that have come out of the human collective – even the Biblical account is rather vague considering that it has been written in poetic form.
With regards to the contents of this book, well, I am going to have to say that it is useful, and interesting, and as Dickson is able to do quite well, written in a brief and very readable way. The subject of the book can be very dry and academic at times, but Dickson is able to write in a way that the average person can have access to the information. Further, what he is intending to do here is to prove, based on historical evidence, that Jesus was a real person, and then goes further to prove that the claims that he made came about as he made them (that is that he is the Son of God, and that he died and came to life again). Personally, I am not necessarily convinced that any amount of proof is going to change people's mind; rather an intervention by God is required – and my supporting argument for a statement along those lines is that there are still holocaust deniers out there despite the fact of the overwhelming evidence supporting the fact the the Nazi death camps not only existed, but were used to kill anybody that the Nazi's did not like.
September 23, 2019
I wrote a long review but then accidentally deleted it, so I'll try to write down the main points.
1. I hesitated to classify this under 'Christian' as it is aimed at people from any religious background, but decided to do so for my own records.
2. I found this really interesting.
3. My brother recommended this to me but said that it was only really useful as an introductory book. I can see where he's coming from, as he is really interested in history and studied it as part of his HSC and at uni before changing career plans. For him, it wouldn't be that useful except as a starting place from which to follow the references to other sources throughout the book. For me, though, it was really beneficial as I've only ever seen the New Testament as a whole, rather than as a collection of letters and biographies that were written independently by different people. One of the things that really hit me was how the Gospel writers used various sources and eyewitness accounts to verify what they were writing; I'd always seen it as something that God told them directly, despite the fact that they were present for it, but instead it was a process of verifying that they were recording what actually occurred and was taught.
4. I would recommend this to anyone. I've said this on books like Deltora Quest before, but this time I really mean absolutely anyone someone could mention. Except maybe historians or people whoalready know which sources to go to. It provides a greater understanding of the New Testament and of how historians construct their understanding of the historical Jesus. Whether you're Christian or not, it really helps with how you look at the New Testament. I've never really wanted to read the Bible before in its entirety, except once in year seven or eight when I wanted to but didn't because Mum told me to read it at home rather than on the bus or at school, and after watching The Case for Christ and reading The Christ Files I have a desire to read it. The desire is mostly for the New Testament, admittedly, but still. There are some other things I want to investigate before doing so so that I can go into it with any questions, such as the reliability of the New Testament (for that, read this book), cleared up, but I'm actually excited to read it.
1. I hesitated to classify this under 'Christian' as it is aimed at people from any religious background, but decided to do so for my own records.
2. I found this really interesting.
3. My brother recommended this to me but said that it was only really useful as an introductory book. I can see where he's coming from, as he is really interested in history and studied it as part of his HSC and at uni before changing career plans. For him, it wouldn't be that useful except as a starting place from which to follow the references to other sources throughout the book. For me, though, it was really beneficial as I've only ever seen the New Testament as a whole, rather than as a collection of letters and biographies that were written independently by different people. One of the things that really hit me was how the Gospel writers used various sources and eyewitness accounts to verify what they were writing; I'd always seen it as something that God told them directly, despite the fact that they were present for it, but instead it was a process of verifying that they were recording what actually occurred and was taught.
4. I would recommend this to anyone. I've said this on books like Deltora Quest before, but this time I really mean absolutely anyone someone could mention. Except maybe historians or people whoalready know which sources to go to. It provides a greater understanding of the New Testament and of how historians construct their understanding of the historical Jesus. Whether you're Christian or not, it really helps with how you look at the New Testament. I've never really wanted to read the Bible before in its entirety, except once in year seven or eight when I wanted to but didn't because Mum told me to read it at home rather than on the bus or at school, and after watching The Case for Christ and reading The Christ Files I have a desire to read it. The desire is mostly for the New Testament, admittedly, but still. There are some other things I want to investigate before doing so so that I can go into it with any questions, such as the reliability of the New Testament (for that, read this book), cleared up, but I'm actually excited to read it.
February 19, 2015
John Dickson's book is a nice introduction to the scholarly viewpoint on the canonisation of the bible and alternative views on biblical and non-biblical scripture. Although the book would be well-received among most Christian audiences, I feel it would not be well-received by non-believers as it seems to be an apologist response to mainstream anti-Christian viewpoints such as The Da Vinci Code. Therefore, I think the biased apologist approach will help Christians dipping their toe into this area for the first time, or if they only want to feel more confident about their belief in the bible as the Word of God.
-55AD, a pagan historian Thallos mentioned an eclipse of the sun which was not a supernatural event and coincided with the death of JC. The original was lost, but quoted by Africanus, a Christian historian in 160-240
-Talmud reports J's crimes and execution in 100-200. "Eve of passover was hanged on a cross...practiced sorcery...led Israel astray"
**
-55AD, a pagan historian Thallos mentioned an eclipse of the sun which was not a supernatural event and coincided with the death of JC. The original was lost, but quoted by Africanus, a Christian historian in 160-240
-Talmud reports J's crimes and execution in 100-200. "Eve of passover was hanged on a cross...practiced sorcery...led Israel astray"
**
February 15, 2013
This book was written really well for the average person who doesn't want to know every single detail but also wants enough information to know why we do have a historical foundation for Jesus. I highly recommend it since it's also such a short read. It gave me some good incite into Jewish traditions as well.
October 19, 2017
Dickson gives a good overview about the different sources scholars use to form a larger picture of Jesus. However, there are a few areas which seem problematic. He contradicts himself when he claims that we know that the authors of the four gospels did not copy from each other and then later says that sections of Matthew are almost word for word taken from Mark. He also seems to take the claimed authorship of the books of the new testament at face value. This topic might be too in-depth for such a brief overview but it doesn't receive any mention whatsoever in this book. I would recommend this book as a decent introduction for those wanting to learn more about the new testament and its historicity.
September 21, 2018
Easy to read and understand. Lots of helpful references. Found the sections on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Secret Gospels particularly helpful.
'Professional historians, regardless of their religious persausion, treat the New Testament portrait of Jesus Christ far more seriously than the general public realises.'
'In saying that Christianity is 'historical' I do not mean provable...I want to underline for readers what is already a given in the academic study of the subject: Christianity is based on claims that can be examined historically.'
'Professional historians, regardless of their religious persausion, treat the New Testament portrait of Jesus Christ far more seriously than the general public realises.'
'In saying that Christianity is 'historical' I do not mean provable...I want to underline for readers what is already a given in the academic study of the subject: Christianity is based on claims that can be examined historically.'
January 21, 2023
Exactly what it says on the cover, this book is a well referenced summary for non-academics of the historical evidence outside and inside the Bible about the life of Jesus.
The book itself is not too long, it is followed by a study guide which is meant to go with a DVD series made by the author to accompany the book (which I have not seen) and a detailed set of footnotes. For those wishing to dive deeper the footnotes would provide many avenues to better understand the scholarship on this topic.
The book itself is not too long, it is followed by a study guide which is meant to go with a DVD series made by the author to accompany the book (which I have not seen) and a detailed set of footnotes. For those wishing to dive deeper the footnotes would provide many avenues to better understand the scholarship on this topic.
February 26, 2021
This was an interesting, short book about Christ from a slightly different perspective than other apologetics books, taking a look at the Christian story through a historian's eyes. I learned several things that I did not expect to take away from this little book and would recommend to others who might want to just understand how historians look at the story of Christ, as those who do not believe, and those who do.
April 5, 2024
For me this book has been very enlightening and grounding in many ways. I have attended church since I was a child but have never been exposed to the history and truths in this book.
I grew up being told “because the Bible says so” and “don’t question” which created a stifling box.
The book is so refreshing to my mind and soul.
I grew up being told “because the Bible says so” and “don’t question” which created a stifling box.
The book is so refreshing to my mind and soul.
June 1, 2019
I really liked this book ... Probably deserves a 4.5. so many people today take what people say without examining the truth of the claims. This is a very balanced look at how scholars view the historicity of Jesus. I will read more by this author as a result of reading this book.
August 18, 2023
Very well written. A great primer for believers wanting to understand the historicity of the Gospels, and also very accessible for non-believers interested to learn whether the NT documents are reliable. The reader learns a massive amount in the 101 pages. A great investment of a little time.
June 26, 2019
Great concise overview of all the historical sources that have preserved the story of Jesus for us
April 20, 2026
3/5: sort of felt like a book report. Interesting and short enough to make it through and good for a basic understanding of what makes a historical document valid in a case for Christ!
May 4, 2026
A very different type of Bible study but it was fascinating!
December 29, 2020
An extraordinary piece of work.
March 8, 2017
Pretty basic but a good intro
April 30, 2014
The subtitle of the book, "How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus", is a great little read. The author writes from a historical perspective, not taking a stance on the miracles or other religious elements of the life of Jesus. Instead, he focuses on the basic facts that most historians have come to accept and, specifically, why they accept them. This includes looking at references outside of the New Testament writings, from Roman and Jewish sources, and then looking at the New Testament documents themselves. He also includes a chapter on the oral tradition and why that would have been more significant for the 1st century than it is today.
While there may be those who want to disagree with some of his statements from both ends of the spectrum (those he refers to as skeptics and apologists), he largely avoids controversy. It is a short book, but he includes references to more detailed works for those who might want to dig deeper on a particular points. He also quotes from many of the original sources to help illustrate his points.
The conclusion is simple. Modern historians do not doubt that there was an itinerant teacher named Jesus in 1st Century Palestine nor that his ministry and death sparked a movement that took up the name Christianity. But the book does not attempt to persuade, in either direction, on the central point of the New Testament: Jesus' resurrection from the dead. If that bothers you (whichever side you are on) you might not enjoy the book. But as a purely historical look at the evidence, this is a great read.
While there may be those who want to disagree with some of his statements from both ends of the spectrum (those he refers to as skeptics and apologists), he largely avoids controversy. It is a short book, but he includes references to more detailed works for those who might want to dig deeper on a particular points. He also quotes from many of the original sources to help illustrate his points.
The conclusion is simple. Modern historians do not doubt that there was an itinerant teacher named Jesus in 1st Century Palestine nor that his ministry and death sparked a movement that took up the name Christianity. But the book does not attempt to persuade, in either direction, on the central point of the New Testament: Jesus' resurrection from the dead. If that bothers you (whichever side you are on) you might not enjoy the book. But as a purely historical look at the evidence, this is a great read.
October 29, 2020
This was a fantastic little intro book into the documents that contribute to what historians - both Christian and non-Christian alike - know about Jesus. I really enjoyed the information that was packed into it and yet it was a quick and enjoyable read - not dry like one might expect. The author anticipated and answered a lot of questions like why the story of Jesus wasn't written down sooner, what supporting other non-Christian historical documents give us information about Jesus and the Jewish society at the time and even the sources believed to have been consulted in writing the gospels. Absolutely fascinating from start to finish, I felt I learned a lot and that though the author is Christian - which he notes, he approached more from a historian's position which may make it appealing to non-Christians curious about the subject as well.
May 29, 2016
This is a concise and easy to digest summary of the key historical sources for the life of Jesus Christ.
The most useful sections for me were (found from page 33 to page 70):
-chapter 4 on how the New Testament gospels are accepted by mainstream scholars as historical sources, and what factors make the gospels trusted by scholars;
-and chapter 5 which discusses historical oral traditions which were trusted as a method of passing on important knowledge.
The remaining sections were helpful in giving an idea of the scope of other reliable or less reliable historical sources.
This book does not set out to convince anyone of why they should follow Christ- but it does help with understanding that the New Testament itself is a trustworthy source for understanding who Jesus of Nazareth was.
The most useful sections for me were (found from page 33 to page 70):
-chapter 4 on how the New Testament gospels are accepted by mainstream scholars as historical sources, and what factors make the gospels trusted by scholars;
-and chapter 5 which discusses historical oral traditions which were trusted as a method of passing on important knowledge.
The remaining sections were helpful in giving an idea of the scope of other reliable or less reliable historical sources.
This book does not set out to convince anyone of why they should follow Christ- but it does help with understanding that the New Testament itself is a trustworthy source for understanding who Jesus of Nazareth was.
January 17, 2017
Book?
I wouldn't necessarily qualify this as a "book" per se; more like a well researched graduate paper. It would have been very nice to know, prior to getting to the end of the text, that this was meant to be read while working ones way through an accompanying video series.
I'm also skeptical of the authors views as they relate to Constantine. Scholars have also proffered the opinion that Constantine was combining the teachings of numerous popular religions at the time and combined the most revered components of each into his own model of Christian doctrine. It is opined that this was done as a means to more easily control his people as Christianity was growing in it's popularity throughout the Roman Empire.
I wouldn't necessarily qualify this as a "book" per se; more like a well researched graduate paper. It would have been very nice to know, prior to getting to the end of the text, that this was meant to be read while working ones way through an accompanying video series.
I'm also skeptical of the authors views as they relate to Constantine. Scholars have also proffered the opinion that Constantine was combining the teachings of numerous popular religions at the time and combined the most revered components of each into his own model of Christian doctrine. It is opined that this was done as a means to more easily control his people as Christianity was growing in it's popularity throughout the Roman Empire.
December 21, 2009
This is GREAT little read on how historians know what they know about Jesus. It includes a chapter on what was written about Jesus by secular Greek and Roman historians of the first century and also a chapter that really drives home what a oral society is. After reading this illuminating chapter you will be asking the question why were the gospels written down so soon after the death of Christ rather than the typical why did it take so long to write them down. I also learned a lot and understand much more about historians and their jobs after reading this book. If you can get a hold of this book, do!!
September 27, 2015
This was a quick read. Unfortunately this book feels like a apologist view masquerading as a neutral listing of historical sources. I don't think that the author does this on purpose. I think ultimately this is a symptom of the fact that the author provides a lot of facts but since no real context is given it fails to transmit any information. This is an introductory text that is likely to appeal greatly to believers and calm their sense of turbulence that serious questioners create when disrupting the mythology of Christian origins. But for true skeptics of Christianity (not necessarily atheists) there's not much to find here.
November 11, 2022
A concise but thorough look at various proofs for the historicity and reliability of the Gospels. Easy to understand and a great resource for Sunday school teachers or Bible teachers. There is a corresponding DVD which can be purchased to show to a class which is an almost word-for-word duplicate of the book.
December 20, 2013
An excellent and quick read that outlines what we know and how we know so much from ancient history about the life of Jesus. A short book that packs in a lot of information.
January 31, 2014
Good, easy to understand and outlines basic sources.
April 1, 2017
A very short, no-theological book about the historical evidence for Jesus and the way historians approach the study of him. It is probably a good way to start a critical reading of the Gospels by presenting the various perspectives that scholars use to view them.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews